


In His Grandfather's Legacy

by Reconfigured_Glitch



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Tags and characters will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9619532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reconfigured_Glitch/pseuds/Reconfigured_Glitch
Summary: Adam remembered his grandpa's farm with a childhood fondness. It was always an escape from the harshness of his usual home life. That was until grandpa died, of course. Years later, he still struggled to make ends meet. Remembering a dying man's wish, he opened his inheritance, setting out to the start of a new life. He prays it'll be better than the last.





	1. Planting New Roots

**Spring 1 - Year 1  
**

* * *

"This is Pinewood Farm."

Adam Yakovich paused in dragging his suitcase, looking past his redheaded guide to take in the surrounding forest, interupted with sparse plains suitable for farming. There was a nearby lake with lily pads and algae. Near the path he and his guide entered, a desolate building stood, weathered with age and slowly falling apart. The wooden paneling looked rotten, the roof was missing shingles. There was a single door, with a main window, missing a shudder, and a smaller attic window in the peak of the roof. Attached the the side of the house, the porch stretched to cover a section filled with firewood. At least the chimney seemed relatively stable, from the outside.

His guide, a redheaded woman who introduced herself as Robin upon Adam's departure of the bus, waited as he took in the property.

Adam tried not to grimace, but she noticed anyway.

"What's the matter? Sure, it's overgrown, but there's some good soil beneath that mess!" She grinned. "With a little dedication you'll have it cleaned up in no time."

She led him to the door of the house. The town's newcomer imagined how bad the inside must look along the way. Robin stopped by the porch steps, handing him a key that Adam presumed belonged to the house. "And here we are, your new home."

The door to said home opened with a rickety squeak of it's hinges, and out stepped a man with greying hair, wearing suspenders and an old hat. "Ah, the new farmer! Welcome! I'm Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town." He approached the two of them, stopping next to Adam and observing him. "I haven't seen you seen you were this tall, Adam." He gestured down to the level of his knees, give or take. "You look just like your grandfather."

At a little over six feet, he definitely wasn't down to Lewis' knees anymore. He had the russet hair and fair blue eyes that ran in the family. Because he had been working a desk job before moving here, he didn't have a strong build, and his skin was pale from a lack of sunlight.

The Mayor continued, "It's not everyday that someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal!"

There was a moment of silence before Lewis turned towards the old home. "So... You're moving into your grandfather's old cottage. It's a good house, very 'rustic'."

Somewhere out of sight, they heard the sound of a brittle shingle finally giving up, and sliding down to the grass below, all the while sounding like sandpaper.

"That's one way to put it." Robin quipped. "Crusty might be more like it."

Before Adam could contemplate how the place looked crusty, Lewis scowled. "Rude!" There wasn't much threat behind his tone, Robin laughed.

"You're just trying to get him to pay you for repairs." Lewis continued. The redhead put on a look of mock surprise that he would dare suggest such a thing.

The whole exchange made Adam crack a smile.

"Anyways," Lewis reached out and shook his hand. "You must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest."

Despite the time of day, Adam did feel sluggish from the several hour long bus ride to the valley, so he simply nodded.

"Then tomorrow, you can explore the town and introduce yourself. I'm sure the townspeople would appreciate that."

Adam watched them leave, except when he went to go inside, Lewis turned and called out to him. "Oh, I almost forgot! If you have any products you need to sell, put them in this crate here." Next to the elderly Mayor was a large wooden box, with a lid partially sealing it. "I'll come by every night to collect it."

Then they left, for real this time, leaving Adam to enter his new abode.

Thankfully, despite his worries, the interior was in better condition than the outside led him to believe. There were plenty of gaps in the wooden walls and floors, but those could be fixed easy enough. He checked if the house had power by turning on a nearby lamp, which lit up with a dim yellow glow.

Apart from the lamp, there was a single bed with a headboard pushed into a corner, a small end table, and a tiny potted cactus resting on top of the table. He left his suitcase next to the bed, continuing to observe the room.

Next to a fireplace, which looked well used but otherwise fine, was an old TV. Old enough that it only had a handful of channels.

Empty shelves lined the walls, among a few decorations like an old wooden shield, complete with a metal coat of arms, a simple mirror, and finally two windows. One window was boarded up, with a draft coming in through the broken glass that was seen through the gaps.

In the center of the room was a desaturated red rug without any holes; on top of that rug was a large, wrapped package, it even came with a bow.

Adam quirked a brow. He opened it and pulled out a folded letter, followed by a handful of tools, some sort of rock, a watering can, and lastly, dozens of packages labeled as 'Parsnip Seeds'. He nudged the box away and examined the packets closer, reading the gestation period and any planting instructions he could glean. He read the note next. "Just a little something to get you started..." He muttered aloud. The sender was Mayor Lewis. He would have to thank the old man later.

Even though earlier he planned to rest, Adam changed his mind because he didn't want to waste the chance to start settling in. He knew it would be a long process to fix and repair everything. First he needed to clear up space so he had room to grow crops. He needed the money.

The farmer lined up the tools against the wall, next to the door, for convenience. The pickaxe, axe, hoe, scythe, and tucked underneath was the small watering can. Until he got a better look at the land, he wouldn't take any of them, so he went back outside and marked off a square chunk across from the door. The markers were actually just four large branches, sort of sharp, jammed into the ground. Waist high grass, fallen limbs too large to move by hand, and several trees all filled the space within. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any boulders or rocks to need a pickaxe.

Adam was glad he wore jeans, going through that in shorts would've been itchy like crazy. Not to mention the bugs.

He had to leave and come back with the appropriate tools, starting with the scythe. He honestly could say he never held one until today. Going off what he'd seen in movies and documentaries, he gripped both handles and swung at the tall grass. The blade, about the length of his forearm, cut through a portion of grass about two feet wide and a little less length wise, it buried into the dirt with a dull sound, leaving Adam struggling to pull it out. The grass could've been cut shorter, overall, and his blade would dull quickly if he kept hitting the ground. He tried again, failing many times, having to stop and grab what he realized was a whetstone halfway through to sharpen the scythe. Eventually, he got the tall grass short enough that he wouldn't have any trouble tilling it up.

Adam had to take a break, sitting on a wide tree stump close by, catching his breath.

Next up he used the axe to steadily chop fallen limbs into manageable pieces. He carried the logs and began to form a stack next to the firewood. Already, the farmer could feel the burning in his arms from the exertion, but he got the job done. All that was left now were the trees themselves. six in total were marked to be cut down. All spruce trees.

Although at first he was nervous about which way the trees would fall, he realized he could easily move out of the way, and that it wasn't close enough to any structure to damage.

By now he was feeling tired, so he didn't bother to clean up any of the trees he chopped, instead just leaving them where they landed for the next day.

Once Adam returned inside, he put the tools up and took off his boots, tossing them to the side. He tugged off his pants and shirt on the way to bed, wanting to keep it as grime free as possible.

He stared at the ceiling and thought about his life leading up to now. His father died when he was too young to remember, leaving his mother a depressed alcoholic that took out her issues on her only son. Adam's paternal grandfather stepped in after a particularly bad incident when he was nine, taking custody and bringing Adam home with him to a little town in Stardew Valley. He spent the next few years happier than he ever remembered feeling, the peace and isolation of the simple life good for him, until grandpa passed away. leaving only a letter to the young kid, and the instructions to only open it when he felt hopeless again.

Since his mother was still deemed unfit to care for him, he spent his teenage years living with a few different foster homes during that time. He honestly forgot about the letter during that time. It remained sealed for years, until the day he was struck with a realization while in a cramped office cubicle, working a dead end job at Joja Corporation. Adam couldn't do it anymore, his lifestyle needed to change, so he quit halfway through the work day, going home to the only cheap apartment he could afford to debate what to do. He didn't recall the letter right away, it took him awhile to dig it out and finally open it.

Adam was now the owner of the old farmhouse in the valley, much to his surprise. He packed light, a single suitcase with extra clothes, some hygiene products. It dipped into his savings to hop from bus to bus until he reached Pelican Town, the place he now called home.

Adam sighed.

He fell asleep while thinking about the mental checklist of tasks he still had to do to fix his grandfather's farm. His farm.

* * *

**Spring 2 - Year 1**

* * *

Adam had no idea what time he woke up, only that it was before sunrise. Birds could apparently be very noisy when there weren't sounds to interfere like in the city. He spent some time to fully wake up and leave the house.

He worked on chopping the trees up and moving them out of the way, before switching tools to drag large ruts in the dirt. He threw clumps of stubborn roots, mostly leftover from the tall grass, out of the way. Afterwards, Adam filled the watering can and grabbed the box of seed packets. Reading the instructions, he planted the appropriate number of seeds the correct distance apart, watering the whole lot when he had covered the seeds in a layer of dirt.

Adam used up all the parsnip seeds, throwing them back into the box to be gotten rid of later. He rinsed the dirt off his hands in the nearby lake before taking everything back inside.

The rest of the day was spent introducing himself to some of the townspeople, subsequently learning the layout of the town.

He stopped by the building too small to really be a hospital, he didn't take the chance to transfer his old medical records, and he wanted to have one on file in the meantime. He met the doctor, a man named Harvey, and his nursing aid, Maru. Maru, as it turned out, was Robin's daughter.

The farmer visited the general store next door, the couple that owned it recognized him, but he couldn't recall them in return. Pierre and Caroline introduced themselves, glad to see him back in town, and called their daughter, Abigail, out of the back to do the same. Her purple hair stood out more-so than her mother's green. He didn't remember her, which he felt he should've considering her unique hair color. He left, buying something to eat for the next few days. Pierre happily invited him to come back any time.

He checked the notice board in between both buildings, looking for a local map, and finding one that was still kind of vague, but enough for Adam to get the basic layout of the town.

He returned home to drop off the groceries. Afterwards, he followed a different path, north of his property.

This trail went up into the mountains, but wasn't a strenuous walk. Next to a photogenic lake was a nice looking house, very sturdy and simple in design. A motorcycle was parked out front, and a telescope could be seen in the back yard. A small sign hung on the door, one of tose cheap OPEN and CLOSED signs you could flip around on a string. The shop of whatever kind was open, so he walked in.

Robin stood behind a honey toned counter, polished with a varnish finish, and smiled when he came in.

"Hello again, Adam! How've you been settling in?"

He smiled politely. "Fairly well. I'm not lacking in anything to do, that's for sure."

"Speaking of which, if you ever want some help fixing that place up, you can always come to me. I'm a carpenter. Provided you have the resources and can cover the cost of labor."

"I'm a little low on money, but I'll think it over." He honestly would. Taking all the help he can get was a good idea.

"If you help me with the work, I'll cut that fee in half." She offered.

Adam grinned. "Deal." Then he changed subjects. "I met Maru at the Doctor's office today."

Robin's expression brightened as she leaned against the counter. "That so? She's my youngest, although I've only got two." The redhead turned towards a nearby hallway, filled with projects in varying degrees of finished, both wooden and mechanical, and yelled. "Demetrius! Come here!"

The sound of shattered glass followed, causing Robin to wince and mouth 'oops' at Adam.

Soon enough, a dark skinned man come through the hall, pulling a pair of goggles up to his forehead. He wore a faded white coat of some sort, with all sorts of items filling the pockets.

Robin gestured in his general direction. "Hon, this is Adam, the new farmer that just moved into town."

Demeterius looked at him, taking in his appearance with a glance. "Nice to see you again, Adam." Yet another adult that knew who he was when he couldn't say the same.

"Sorry, I don't remember many people from when I lived here. I never really went into town as a kid."

The couple waved him off. "Don't worry about it." It was Robin who spoke. "I'd introduce you to Sebastian, but he's not home right now."

Once he left the carpenter's shop, he followed a wooden bridge made of planks, which led to a cave and a locked, closed building. The sign on the building read 'Adventurer's Guild'. Adam was curious about the cave, and thus, entered the poorly lit cavern.

Inside, Adam realized the place was an old mine network. A minecart sat to the side, the track lacking any power to function, the same could be said for an elevator positioned on the back wall, a ladder was in the center of the room, leading deeper into the dark. Above the ladder stood an elderly man, with a wooden prosthetic leg, eye path, goatee, leather cape, and a scabbard looped through his belt.

His icy eyes focused on Adam the moment he entered. "Markus. No, nevermind." Markus was the name of his grandfather.

"My name is Adam."

The old man hummed to himself, moving to stand closer, heavily favoring his good leg. "The boy isn't a boy anymore, is he, Markus?" Before Adam could wonder if the man was even senile, he continued. "Do you remember me, lad?"

Adam shook his head 'no'.

"Well, I wasn't missing parts the last time you saw me." The man laughed at his own joke. "I formed the Adventurer's Guild with your grandfather decades ago, I was his friend, Marlon." He pointed to the hole in the ground below next him. "We used to explore these old mines together. It's been years since anybody went down there, but it's a good source of ore, if you can deal with everything else."

Adam rose an eyebrow, not liking the ominous implications. "Like what?"

Marlon just shook his head. Adam frowned at his reluctance to talk.

"Do you have Markus' scimitar?" The veteran adventurer asked, hand rested on the hilt of his own blade.

Yet again Adam shook his head. His mother had sold it when he inherited the weapon. She told him it was because a child his age had no need for a sword, but it was probably because she wanted the money to fuel her bad habits.

Marlon sighed. "That's unfortunate. You won't get far in the mines if you decide to go without a means of defending yourself." He undid his belt, pulling the scabbard and blade inside it off the strip of leather. "Take mine, I've recently bought a new one from Clint, anyways." He waited for Adam to take the blade before redoing his belt.

Adam pulled the sword from it's sheath, noting the rust creeping up the standard piece of metal, as well as the large handle and cross-guard.

"It's a longsword. Has good reach and can block any oncoming attacks, but it's slow, and you're vulnerable when you miss." Marlon instructed. "I bet the elevator here still works, why don't you find another door? See if you can get it running again. Do that, and I might consider letting you join the guild." With those closing words, the old man left Adam to his thoughts.

He wasn't prepared right now, so he left the mine and returned home, still carrying the sheathed sword because he hadn't fastened it yet.

Adam propped it up against the wall next to his tools, stripping down on his way to bed. He was going to bed early, so he would have the energy to get that elevator working. He wanted to join the guild, he felt obligated to, since his grandfather helped create it. He would be ready.


	2. Into the Mines

**Spring 3 - Year 1**

* * *

The next morning, Adam arrived at the mines, well rested and geared up for what his nerdy brain considered dungeon crawling, although in reality it would probably be simple mechanical repair.

His sword still had spots of rust, yet was reliable as the core was unaffected by corrosion, it was fixated on his belt, in his hands he held a pickaxe, he would need it to clear any blockages in his path. He had a couple bottles of water and a handful of granola bars in his pack.

Steadying himself, he made his way down the ladder, rung by rung, until he reached the first floor. If he thought the floor above was dark, it was nothing compared to now, a few torches were spaced here or there, not enough to light up the room, he struggled not to trip over something. Adam pondered how the torches stayed lit, since Marlon claimed nobody had been down here in years.

He rationalized that somebody else must have been down here without the old man's knowledge.

Avoiding the rocks and boulders in his way was easy, and soon he found the ladder leading down to the next floor, finding it to be a near duplicate of the one above, the same could be said for the third floor. Although, on the third floor, Adam found a few veins of ore, the metal looked like a dingy brown, but he was clueless about this kind of thing. He hacked away at it with his pickaxe, pocketing the pieces with the most metal ore.

Adam took the time to take a break, eating and drinking, albeit in a slight hurry, for he couldn't shake the feeling of rising anxiety. Whether it was the oppressive darkness and tight spaces going against his human instinct, or just superstitious paranoia, he wasn't certain.

The forth floor he found giant, flying bugs, which, although gross and annoying to kill, weren't exactly frightening. He collected some more ore, and had to spend excessive amounts of energy uncovering the rubble the find the ladder. The rubble hasn't collapsed the tunnel, and the wood seemed stable on the way down. Although a few vines and insects left their mark, enough to give him goosebumps and make him stop, in order to swat away the annoying bugs.

The fifth floor had artificial light bulbs arranged every few yards across the ceiling. He found the door to the elevator next to the ladder. The buttons were lit up, signifying power. He hit the call button and the doors slid open with a faint 'ding'.

The interior of the cabin was dusty, with cobwebs in the corners, but otherwise seemed functional. It had a covered light fixture in the ceiling, with red carpet, and cream and gold wallpaper. Everything screamed style, at least, style during the times this thing was still used.

Why an elevator into a boring mine shaft would need to be elegant, he had no clue.

The farmer went inside and pressed the button for the first floor. Adam mused about how he used to have a fear of these things when he was younger. That they would get stuck or fall dozens of stories. But then he realized now was not the time to entertain such thoughts, when he was suspended in what could be his coffin.

Adam shook his head to clear the morbid thoughts. As he did, the doors opened with the same faint chime.

He wondered how the elevator could reach the first floor if it supposedly lacked power. Looking outside, the button to call the elevator was still out. It could also be that a wire somewhere along the way shorted out. There were numerous possibilities. He went back inside and tried to press the button to go back. The doors shut with the same chime, and he felt the elevator move. When he reached the fifth floor, he tried to go further, hitting the next lowest level. The buttons were in increments of five, so that made it floor ten.

The button lit up and the doors slid shut, except the cart never moved. He heard the mechanisms working hard, but nothing happened. Fearing the worst, he panicked and hit the emergency stop, thank whatever deity existed it did, the doors opened, and the floor was still level with the outside. He wouldn't need to crawl through any gaps.

The thing needed repairs and Adam wasn't the person for the job. But he reasoned the mines were simply in need of clearing out. The elevator shaft might be full of rubble that needed removed. He left to talk to Marlon.

Adam found the man at the building next to the exit of the cave, where he found it locked before, now it wasn't.

Marlon stood behind a glass counter that doubled as a display case, it showed off a wide array of blades, from longswords to dagger, knifes, and even a large broadsword that barely fit the length of the case.

Trophies and taxidermy hung from the wall, or were locked behind glass cases of their own, bears, deer, birds of prey, even a few reptiles. Another man sat in a rocking chair, slowly moving back and forth, his hat covering most of his face. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep.

"This is Gil." The man rocking mumbled at Marlon saying his name.

Adam wiped some of the cold sweat from his forehead. "I've got the elevator working as best I could. The power is still supplied to the first floor."

Marlon hummed. "Are you sure it was as best you could?"

Adm frowned. "Yeah, I'm not an engineer, or an electrician."

"Hunt a dozen slimes for your initiation into the guild."

"What?" Adam asked, blinking and questioning if he heard right.

"A dozen slimes, collect their goo and show it to me as proof." The man was serious. Adam had to pause to go over what to say.

"What are slimes?" That was a safe start.

Marlon only looked at him like he had grown two heads. "'What are slimes?'" he parroted, "What did you run into down there?"

"A few bugs, easy to squash or cut into bits with that sword you gave me." Adam replied to the inquiry.

"There's a lot more than bugs down there, lad." Marlon pulled a book out from behind the counter. "Read this, study it, it's the 'Book of Monsters'. You're grandpa called it the dungeoner's cheat-sheet." The book was thick, and the binding was worn and looked older than something from even his grandfather's time. The cover was blank, and there was no title printed anywhere.

"Uh... Thanks." How else did you respond to someone giving you a book of fiction and treating it like life saving information?

Marlon waved off his thanks. "Don't thank me yet, you're still so woefully unprepared. Have you even had any practice with fighting?"

"Not really." At the farmer's reply, the veteran adventurer sighed.

He stepped out from behind the counter. "This won't do, then. Come with me, take the book, keep it."

As Marlon passed, Adam noticed the shiny new sword fixed to the older man's belt, and he felt a pang of envy. He followed Marlon outside after putting the book away.

Marlon was standing in a patch of dirt. The grass wore away as it neared the coastline. The mountain lake glimmered in the setting sunlight, and birds could be heard echoing in the trees. He wasn't aware he spent so long in the mines.

Adam took a moment to appreciate the view.

"Put your stuff down somewhere out of the way, scabbard too, just draw your sword." Marlon ordered, tossing away the cape that he wore.

It took Adam a bit longer to get ready, but he eventually caught up, all the while expecting Marlon to crack and tell him he was just joking around. Marlon never did.

"I want you to give me everything you've got, lad."

Adam nodded and rushed forward, swinging in an arc at Marlon's weaker side, with the peg leg, worse depth perception, and just overall age, he assumed he could get a hit in. He was proven so terribly wrong when he wound up on his ass, the breath escaped from his lungs, the tip of Marlon's blade rested several inches above his throat to be on the safe side, but the point was made.

He groaned at his own pun. Or maybe it was pain, his back ached and flared when he started to get back to his feet. After Marlon sheathed his sword, of course. He was handed back his own rusted weapon and he blinked in surprise.

"What happened?" He had to ask, he missed the whirlwind that was the amazingly agile old man.

Marlon smiled, twisting his mustache. "I kicked your feet out from under you and was able to grab your weapon, your attack was heavily projected before you even made the first strike."

Adam felt slightly humiliated, being beaten so easily by the guy several times his age.

As if reading his thoughts, Marlon gave him some consolation. "I'm not your typical old timer, I still stay in shape. Now, I'm not at my best anymore, but I can still teach you a thing or two. I want you here every day until I think you're skilled enough to defend yourself against what's in that book."

The leader of the Adventurer's Guild left him alone after that; Adam watched him walk back inside, without so much as a limp on his bad leg, unlike beforehand. He never actually agreed to any of this, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in learning what he could.

On his way back through town he decided to visit the beach, hoping to catch another incredible view before the sun fully set.

When he arrived, he noticed the beach fairly clean and maintained, although the buildings themselves looked less so. A small cabin with a seemingly forgotten boat and oar. A fishing shop on the brink of running out of funds, if the state of the outside was anything to go by, was suspended above the water on the docks. Fishing related clutter surrounded it. The dock itself was missing a few boards here and there, and green moss and algae had crept throughout.

A scruffily bearded man stood at the edge of the dock, holding a cast fishing rod under an arm while he lit from an old fashioned tobacco pipe. His red flannel and jeans were well worn, and his brown cap had a patch repair.

As Adam neared, he glanced up, bellowing out a cloud of smoke. "Ahoy there, son. Heard there was a newcomer in town. Good to finally meet ya." The farmer returned the statement to be polite.

The man turned back towards the ocean, checking his line as he did so. "I'm still tryin' to unwind after a month out on the salty seas. It was a big haul! I sold a lot of good fish." Adam didn't want to be rude and interrupt, so he let the guy continue. "I finally saved me enough to buy a new rod."

He handed the fishing rod, line still cast, to Adam. "Here, I want you to have my old one."

Adam's surprise at his generosity didn't go unnoticed. The scruffy man just grinned. "It's important to me that the art o' fishin' stays alive. And hey, maybe you'll buy something from the shop once and awhile." Another puff of smoke. "There's good water down here in the valley. All kinds o' fish."

It wasn't until the fisherman left with a final recommendation to visit his shop in the near future that Adam realized they never actually introduced themselves. He didn't know the man's name, and the same could probably be said vise versa.

Instead of actually chasing the man down, Adam just reeled in his line and observed his new pole. As far as fishing poles went, it was a modest length, made of richly colored bamboo. The thing wouldn't hold heavier fish, but it would suffice for now.

Adam took one last look at the horizon, taking in the sights and the smell of the ocean on the wind, before turning to head back home.

* * *

**Spring 4 - Year 1**

* * *

When Adam woke up, he spent little time eating. It was something prepacked for breakfast, turning on the television for the first time since he moved in. The first channel was boring, but important for his new job, the weather report. There was another involving fortune telling, probably fake. The only other thing to watch was an agricultural channel, useful, but somehow too convenient. Maybe these channels were the only ones Grandpa needed, or felt Adam would inevitably need. That didn't explain the mystical one, though.

He checked his crops, finding them ready to harvest. He spent a little over and hour doing so, moving them into the shipping container that Mayor Lewis pointed out to him the other day. The farmer didn't keep any for himself, finding income to be more important at the moment.

Only after he finished did he arrive at the guild shop. He wanted to see what Marlon's 'training' was all about. The old adventurer was inside the shop, but quickly exited, leading them to the same clearing as yesterday.

As Marlon stretched and popped his joints, he asked, "Have you began reading that book?"

Marlon's glare was made slightly more intimidating by the eyepatch. It told Adam all he needed to know about how his mentor felt about his procrastination. In Adam's own defense, he was too tired to read it the night before, and the book was thick.

"I think you'll get enough exercise in just by doing your job around the farm, but if you do recreational workouts, it would help." Marlon began, "We won't start with swords or any other type of weapon, instead I'll start with some basic hand-to-hand, in the event you get disarmed or something of the sort."

"You make it sound like I'll be going to war down there." Adam frowned, referring to the mines, and still not believing the old man about monsters.

Marlon shrugged. "Even if you aren't, knowing skills for that wouldn't be such a bad thing, right now. Would they?" His question was rhetorical.

Adam grimaced, knowing that the Republic was getting close to issuing a draft to have a better chance against the Gotoro Empire.

"More specifically, the style I'll try and teach you is a mix of various styles." Marlon continued, "It focuses on taking competitive sports fighting, with rules and regulations, into a blend of moves that can be used in real life applications. Karate, boxing, wrestling, to name a few. It can be lethal or used to subdue, it's also good for simply getting away in self defense.

Adam blinked, setting his things to the side. "No rules? I don't want to hurt you."

Marlon laughed. "Don't worry about me, worry about yourself."

The two of them set their things to the side, including the scabbards from their belts.

Then the demonstrations began. Marlon showed a few basic hooks, kicks, and throws. Very few ways to block. When asked why, Marlon replied, "Blocking is important, but you don't want to draw out a fight if you can help it. Instead, try to focus on counterattacks."

At first, it was simply running through the motions, then they actually practiced sparring.

Adam lasted a lot longer than the first time, but that's not saying much considering it hardly lasted a second before.

He wound up in a headlock on the dirt, tapping out, their grappling had kicked up a cloud of dust, causing what little air he inhaled to be scratchy and irritating. Following Adam's surrender, Marlon let go and stepped back.

The farmer rubbed his neck, catching his breath with greedy lungfuls.

"Damn." Was all he said. Either he sucked, or Marlon was highly skilled. Probably both.

He got to his feet and grabbed his discarded things while Marlon did the same. His backpack, the old man's leather cape.

While they parted ways, Marlon called over his shoulder. "Don't forget to read that book! Especially if you plan to go deeper into the mine, or become a full member of the Adventurer's Guild."

Adam couldn't help but be reminded of tedious homework assignments in school. He sighed.

* * *

The farmer spent the rest of the day loitering around the valley, introducing himself to a few more townsfolk. It was sometime after noon, based on the sun, but Adam didn't have a watch to know the exact time. He should really buy one.

As he was nearing the park, the shadow of a large, dilapidated building covered him. The siding and roofing was falling apart, the window was shattered, glass still littering the ground, the locked door was rusted, there was a large clock placed in the steeple, broken, finally, there was a faded old script, stenciled on the side, ' _Pelican Town_ '. Out in front, Mayor Lewis stood with a depressed stare at the old structure.

"What's wrong?" He asked Lewis, frowning in concern.

Mayor Lewis gestured vaguely in front of him. "This is the old community center. It's such a shame to see this place in such disrepair. I remember a time when it was bustling with activity, not too long ago." he sighed, "Come on, I'll show you inside."

Adam followed him, waiting for the padlock to be removed from the old door. The air was stale, dust layered everything, except for a few patches on the floor.

"Vincent or Jas must have been in here." Lewis claimed aloud, voicing Adam's assumption.

The farmer mused, rubbing his chin. "How could somebody get in if the door was locked?"

"The windows aren't fully boarded up." Sure enough, while all the windows were covered, a few had gaps too small for an adult to fit through, but large enough for small animals to crawl in. Or children. Light filtered in from the many cracks.

Evidence pointing to this being the kids was some significantly newer clutter, a journal, some paper, and a few pencils were tucked into a corner.

Adam took in the rest of the room. A mound of brickwork covered in vines. A shattered fish tank. An old cork board, with the flyers and paper mostly deteriorated. Many of the floorboards were also missing.

Facing Adam, Mayor Lewis appeared dejected. "Joja keeps trying to buy this place in order to build a warehouse. I've been fighting it, but if one more townsperson buys a membership of theirs, I might finally reconsider." Clearly, he didn't want to give the location up.

Adam decided then that he wouldn't purchase any Joja membership. Not that it was hard to convince him. Working under the corporation had really soured his opinion of them.

During his reflection, Adam was caught off guard by a sight behind Mayor Lewis; a tiny green blob, slimy, bouncing, and chirping, looked at him with beady, sentient eyes. He jumped in surprise more than fear, but he did immediately feel afraid for his sanity.

Lewis noticed his reflex, glancing around him cautiously. "Are you okay, Adam?"

The farmer shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, I thought I saw something, though."

"Rats, probably. There's no telling how many might be nesting in here." Lewis chuckled, but his explanation didn't comfort the young man.

Rats weren't neon green.

Lewis continued talking about the state of the building. "I wish I could fix the place up, but I lack the time or funds." An idea seemed to occur to him. "Maybe once you're better settled in, you can work on the center in your spare time. I can leave the keys with you."

Adam didn't feel thrilled to take a break from work with more work. He eventually agreed to look into it later, accepting the key from Lewis' overflowing key ring.

The green blob emerged from nothing next to the hallway on Adam's left, making him fumble and nearly drop the key. That would've been bad, the small key would fall through the gaps in the flooring, and would have been absolutely annoying to recover. Fortunately, he caught it, bringing his full attention to the place he saw the creature. It was gone.

"Did you see that?" Adam inquired with a point to the green thing's last location.

The Mayor frowned, the creases in his forehead bunching. "You're sure you're alright? I can get a hold of Harvey..."

Adam closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he had settled on the idea not to mention it again. "I'm fine. Probably not getting enough sleep, is all." This appeased Lewis, who continued the tour before leaving Adam to his own devices.

The rest of the rooms weren't very interesting, except for a peculiar one that appeared to have no other purpose aside from displaying a golden plaque, in perfect view of the doorway. An empty shelf hugged the wall beside the door. When Lewis left, Adam came back to this room to get a better look.

The plaque was engraved in a script he didn't recognize, at all. Even if it was a language he couldn't speak, he could at least try to translate, but this was complete gibberish.

Adam left the community center, taking a final look at the broken clock while he snapped the padlocked shut.

* * *

Adam returned home for a bite to eat. He grabbed his fishing rod on the way out the door, heading back to the mountain lake. He lacked any bait or buckets, so if he did catch any fish, he had nowhere to put them, he would need to toss them back in. That was fine with him; he just wanted experience fishing, it had been awhile.

The large expanse of clear, blue water was very visually appealing. Surprisingly, there wasn't a dock, instead there was a collection of sturdy wooden boards serving as bridges between land masses. They showed signs of age; the color was dark, it had a weathered texture, there were patches of green slime, natural algae- not neon, fortunately. A specific board had a particularly nasty spot of rot, Adam steered clear of it. Maybe later on he would replace them.

Finding a solid spot on the boards, the farmer checked his surroundings and cast his line. Afterwards, he reeled it back in, not satisfied with the distance. Once he reached a length away from shore that he was content with, he sat down. The waiting game began.

The hook was small and clean of bait, he doubted he would catch much of anything without worms or something.

When he ran out of patience, which to be fair, was probably soon. He practiced casting instead. When even that got boring, he reeled in and moved to rest on nearby grass. Sitting while leaning back on his palms, he took in the view of nature.

A gust of wind stirred all the nearby trees, they rustled and bent, the leaves that freed themselves fluttered everywhere. The smell of the lake was crisp and nostalgic.

Then he smelled smoke, causing him to turn his head in search of the source. A guy dressed entirely in black, with long hair to match, strode up to the waterline a few yards away. In contrast to his dark style, his skin was pale; Adam recognized the look of someone that didn't get enough sun.

The stranger noticed him. "Hey, you're that new farmer my mom was talking about."

"Yeah, I just moved in a few days ago. Name's Adam." He gave a polite smile.

"Sebastian." He flicked the loose ashes from his cigarette, taking another drag. With a point to the fishing pole, he asked, "Any luck catching fish?"

Adam laughed, "Nope. I'm not prepared enough."

"Well, when you are, do you plan to cook the fish or sell it?" Sebastian asked.

Adam thought about that for a moment, he hadn't really planned that out yet. He supposed he could do a bit of both.

"Cook them, probably, I used to eat a lot of fresh caught fish." With his grandfather, although he didn't feel the need to bring him up.

Sebastian puffed for a bit on his smoke, not saying anything, until, "You came here from the city, right? What's it like?"

"Loud and busy." Adam laughed, deflecting the question, because he didn't want to think too much about where he grew up most of his life. He paused for a second, actually contemplating his answer. This was a fresh start, he wouldn't keep everything to himself like he was used to. "There's a lot to do, it just depends on your interests. I never cared to leave the house, so my sister would drag me around, when she got sick of my introversion."

Sebastian genuinely frowned. "That sucks, she should've respected you better." Adam snorted, not going to tell the other how little the rest of his family respected him, instead he just nodded an agreement.

"I've always wanted to leave this little town and move to Zuzu City." The man who looked hardly older than a teenager idly stated.

Adam scratched the back of his neck. "City life loses it's luster real quick. I won't deny that it's more convenient to live there, though."

Since Sebastian seemed content with silence, Adam laid back on his palms to gaze up at the cloudy sky. He listened to the sound of the water lapping against the shore.

"I guess you can look at it that way." Sebastian responded what seemed like minutes later. It startled Adam out of his daydreaming. "I still want to live in the city. It seems so easy to do your own thing without somebody holding you back."

Adam rolled onto his side, growing momentarily serious. "There's always people out there able to do that, even in the city." Joja, to keep things simple. "You need to learn how to keep going despite those things, because you won't be able to escape from them."

Sebastian crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the sudden tone shift. "That sounds personal."

"But it's true."

Sebastian shrugged before tossing the smoldering filter out to sea. "I'll talk to you later." The way he said it left something to be desired, but Adam didn't take it personally, the other man obviously not the outgoing or talkative sort.

At least, Adam got the man to talk a little. He hoped they would meet again soon, so he could get to know Sebastian better. The carpenter's son seemed relatable and he had yet to make any 'real' friends in town, unless you counted the pseudo mentor-apprenticeship that Adam shared with Marlon. If the loner was truly relatable, than they should be able to help out one another, and make each other happier in life.

As Adam got up to collect his things, he took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, before turning to head home.


	3. Stormy Days

**Spring 5 - Year 1**

* * *

Unlike Adam's usual routine, he was able to sleep in today. The reason being the downpour heard from outside. He only had to roll over and look out the nearest window to confirm it. Adam had no intention of wasting the chance to get more rest. Over the lull of rain, Adam heard the repetitive drops of a leak nearby. Never seem to lack those. He'd need to repair it later.

He felt himself slip back into a dreary half-sleep, his thoughts wandering.

He remembered the scenes of the forest surrounding the farmland during his youth. The memories were forever accompanied with the sounds of wildlife and rustling leaves.

It reminded him of Grandpa, who enjoyed teaching him things when they went on walks. One time he brought out tree taps, a drill, and several large buckets. Grandpa wouldn't explain why until they got out into the forest.

He had put his hand on the boy's shoulder while pointing to a large maple. It stretched far above it's surroundings. The trunk was twice as thick as normal. "See that?" he'd asked, "If it's wider than yer' foot-" The old man stopped. "If it's wider than my foot, and has a lotta' sunlight, then you have a perfect tree."

He grabbed the drill and set the buckets down on the grass. He reached for a tap and the left the rest with Adam, who curiously looked them over as soon as he got his hands on them.

Grandpa drilled a hole into the trunk's base, speaking aloud as he did so. "If the wood you drill comes out light, it's good; if it's dark like chocolate, drill again." The corkscrew shavings that fell were a light beige, much like the tanned skin of his grandfather. When they landed, sometimes they would catch and hang on long blades of grass.

When Adam regained his focus, the other continued, as if waiting. "Angle upright so the syrup can drip." When he finished demonstrating, he grabbed the hammer strapped to his belt. He aligned the tap with the hole he drilled, steadying the rubber mallet in his hands as he did so.

"Don't hit too hard, or the wood'll split." He struck a few times to ensure the tap stayed in place before getting up from his knees. He motioned for Adam to bring a bucket over and place it underneath. Nothing seemed to be happening.

Grandpa fastened the hammer back on his belt and turned to keep walking. When the boy didn't follow, he looked back and grinned. "It'll take awhile before you start to see any syrup, kid."

At some point, a knock on his door abruptly woke him. He had no clue how long it'd been since he remembered waking up last. Growling in frustration, he tossed the blanket over his body and got up. With bare feet he padded over the wood floor. He flinched when he stepped on a splinter, but he managed to hop the rest of the way to the door.

He was greeted with the sight of Marnie on his porch, soaking wet with rain and a feline huddled in her arms. The cat remained dry despite the rain. It blinked in Adam's direction with orange eyes a few shades darker than it's tabby fur. Marnie's face lit up when he answered the door. He plucked the splinter out of his foot while waiting for her to speak.

"How are you doing, Adam?" She asked, gazing out towards the farm at the crops blown back by the force of the wind. "This rain seems like it's getting worse..." She idly included.

"I've been sleeping in all morning, I haven't been able to tell." He replied, scratching at his hair, feeling his bedhead sticking every which way.

"The weather channel mentioned a storm warning. It's expected to get worse. I didn't come here to talk about that, though. I found a stray outside, picking at my garbage. I think he wandered in from your road." The cat, as if sensing it was the center of attention, began to struggle out of Marnie's arms. She readjusted the animal, successfully calming it down. "I wanted to see if you could take care of him."

Adam rose a brow in mild confusion. "Aren't you the most qualified to raise animals?"

Shoving himself away, the tom landed on the wooden porch on all fours. The torrent of water from outside the awning halted the cat's escape. He swished his tail indignantly as a result.

The stout woman laughed. "Jas is allergic to cats, that's the only reason I can't keep him."

The russet-haired farmer had to pause as he thought of who 'Jas' was. It came back to him. On a visit to Marnie's house, back in Spring, the little girl that lived there, her niece.

Adam assumed cats were the only animal the girl was allergic to, given who her aunt happened to be.

"Well, I dunno how good a pet owner I'll be, but..." he trailed off, watching the cat sit down, curling his tail over his paws. "I have the room and I'm sure there's field mice or something for him to eat until I can buy food."

Marnie appeared content, "Great!"

Adam parted the door further open, offering the chance for his new adopted friend to come inside. The cat merely stared. Of course. He snapped his fingers to try and get the cat to listen, but the tom was defiant.

"Talk to you later, Adam, I should get back to work." Marnie smiled at the scene while she waved goodbye.

At his feet, a soft 'meow' left Adam sighing in annoyance. "Come 'ere, furball." He slowly paced over, as not to spook him. Picking up the feline was shockingly easy, he didn't fight back, allowing Adam to carry him in.

Closing the door behind him, he wandered over next to his bed. The blue-eyed man had to first loosely organize the messy sheets. He finally set the patient tomcat down

"You'll need a name." Adam voiced his thoughts aloud. The cat flopped onto his side, beginning to bathe himself. "How about Felix? Nah... Rover? No. That's more of a dog's name."

Adam reached to scratch behind the cat's ear. Giving up for now, he tried in vain to fix his bedhead with his fingers.

He turned back around and noticed the cat curled up on the pillow. Bothered by the prospect of cat fur where his face goes, he nudged the animal back onto the blankets. He glared at Adam.

"Prasko." Adam had no idea if the name was actually a name, or gibberish. He stroked the tom to keep him from returning to his pillow. "I'll call you Prasko." He decided.

Outside the weather was picking up, so he decided to go back to sleep. Hopefully it would lighten up later, and he could go to the store and pick up a few odds and ends.

* * *

 _Why did I ever decide to wait?_ Adam groaned to himself, half-jogging, half-running down the cobblestone path into town. The store would close soon.

The rain and wind failed to lighten up like the farmer hoped for.

Nobody else was outside -who would be?

Hurrying along the street, he arrived at Pierre's General Store and reached for the door. It didn't budge. Locked. Taped on the glass, above the handle, was a piece of paper. Written on it in black marker were the words: 'Closed due to weather'. To keep it dry and legible, the amount of tape was excessive, covering the entire surface of the note and then some.

"Damn." Adam scowled in frustration. He would need to return another time.

The farmer tugged his leather jacket closer around his shoulders. He shivered, feeling the chill all the way to his bones. Adam heard his teeth clatter even though he was clenching his jaw in an attempt to stop it.

Gazing upright, he noticed the glow of lights through the tavern's windows. Another brisk wind caused Adam to shiver. Feeling rather than hearing his stomach growl, he sighed before looking towards the only place in town that served fresh meals

Inside the local bar, the warmth and sound of communication greeted Adam as soon as he stepped in. Adam noted in mild surprise this was his first time in here.

The place looked a lot like any other bar Adam was familiar with. There was wood furnishing and red felt chair cushions. On the walls were dusty antiques having little to do with food or drink and more to the local culture of the valley. Which was -of course- farming and mining. There were a few photos fixated above the counter, some recent, some monochrome. A classic stable door lead into a back room.

In an adjacent room were sofas, arcade machines, potted plants, and even a pool table.

The place was almost empty.

Behind the counter was a heavyset man, with balding hair and a well-groomed mustache. He wore a cheap vacation shirt over a blue t-shirt, the bottom half of him was obscured by the bar.

Passed out against the bar was a middle-aged woman. She had curly blonde hair. Her facial features were hidden. She wore a purple shirt and plain jeans.

Opposite to her, a grizzly looking man clutched at his drink. Dark hair, an unkempt stubble, and bags from sleep deprivation stood out the most. He wore a cheap, blue hoodie.

He stepped up and grabbed a stool. The first man smiled at him as he did so. "Welcome, stranger! Name's Gus. What can I get you?"

"A beer." It was a safe enough guess that they served that. The barkeep nodded to show he heard him.

The booze was handed to him in record time. It helped that the place was so barren. Adam paid, taking a long swig soon after. It wasn't long before the mug was empty.

Adam was about to call the bartender over for a refill when he noticed the stable door swish open. He glanced over. Out walked a blue-haired woman, in a flowing, vibrant red dress. Covering the most of it was a pale apron with a few faded stains here or there. It had a large pouch sewn onto the front.

She carried a tray of food -although the tray was more a formality, since there was only one plate atop it. An order of spaghetti.

Adam could smell it from here. His stomach growled.

The server place it in front of the anti-social man, who glanced up at her. "Thanks."

"No problem, Shane!" She smiled as she walked away. When she saw the newcomer sitting at the counter, she put the tray under the counter and walked over. "You're the farmer that moved into Mr. Yakovich's house."

"Yeah, that's me." He answered lamely.

The woman looked thoughtful. Instead of prying about where he was from, or who he was, she pointed to the mug left forgotten in front of him. "Need another?"

He nodded the affirmative. She gave another grin, something he was starting to realize was contagious. The server took out a new glass, filling it to the brim with the intoxicating amber. It frothed perfect. Damn, she was good.

"Woman after my own heart." Shane muttered a few stools away, after he caught Adam's expression. It was too low for anyone else to hear. Adam couldn't help but agree.

"Here you are!" She returned, her jovial attitude never fading. Adam had to wonder how she could seem to cheerful. Her attitude didn't appear fake. He paid again and took a drink, watching her put away the cash.

She leaned her elbows on the counter, that thoughtful gaze back once again. "Want to tell me about yourself? My name's Emily."

Surprisingly, he did. "My name's Adam. I used to work at Joja Corp. offices, everybody had their own cramped cubicle." A couple people actually died in theirs. He decided to leave that tidbit of info out.

"Really? Joja? What made you leave? Besides the obvious." Emily joked, that smile of hers spiking Adam's heart rate each time he saw it.

He focused on taking a long drink before answering. "I left because I needed a change of scenery, and they weren't fair with their pay. They also gave us shitty insurance. Yet, had no care for it's employees, working them like dogs." He caught himself rambling, so he shut his mouth. Not that he could help it, the flaws with Joja Corporation were numerous. Counting them all would be a waste of an hour he never got back. Although, Adam's present company wasn't so bad. In fact, Emily was alluring in a way he couldn't describe, making him want to spend more time with her. Become friends. Yoba knows he needed more in this little town.

"We have a Joja Mart here; it's as awful as you described. You don't plan to work there, do you?"

Shane picked this moment to cut in. "If I gotta hear you talk about work, then I'll need another drink." He fished for something in his pocket before placing coins on the counter.

Emily didn't seem fazed by his uncouth mannerisms. She gathered the money and reached for another empty mug. Adam watched from afar as she refilled the glass. It was clear she had practiced this for awhile.

Meanwhile, Adam was reminded of his empty stomach. It was a loud gurgle heard by Shane, if not the server.

He scooted the stool he was sitting on over to the cash register. Next to it was a laminated sheet of paper. A menu. Everything on there was expensive, compared to what money Adam currently had. Beer, bread, and salad were the 'cheapest' things. He checked the price of spaghetti, letting out a low whistle when he saw how pricey it was.

Inflation was definitely not a myth; the war was causing indirect problems on the home front, for sure.

Emily returned with the mug and Shane gladly accepted it.

She turned back to Adam. "You'll have to excuse him, he works at Joja and isn't very happy about it." The grouch muttered something under his breath at that, but she didn't seem to care. "You were saying your plans for work?" Actually, he hadn't said anything yet.

"Yeah," he started anyway, "I don't plan to work there again. They didn't treat me well. My mental health suffered and I needed to get away from it all. As it turns out, I was in possession of the deed to the farmhouse." He made a vague gesture in the direction he lived in. "It was a part of grandpa's will."

She hummed in thought, pinching her chin with a thumb and forefinger. "So do you plan to fix it up? It could use a nice coat of paint."

Adam could tell she was holding back to try and be polite. It wasn't just chipped and faded paint. There was also faulty insulation, wiring, and plumbing. The entire building needed re-roofing. A crack in the stone foundation was also a concern. If the crack reached far enough back, the whole house could settle uneven. This created new cracks and fissures throughout the rest of the house. So on, so forth. After all the necessities, then he could worry about the unflattering superficial things.

"Of course." Adam finally answered, flipping the laminate over to check the back side. The items there were even more expensive. He flipped it back. "Can I order a salad?" With the change in topic, he set the money in front of him. "And bread."

She smiled and his heart flipped.

Once Emily disappeared behind the rotary doors, Shane faced him. "You realize you don't have to ask if you're paying for it." Adam must have looked confused, because Shane tried clarifying. "'Can I' or 'May I' is redundant. It's not a favor, she's serving you food because you paid for it."

"Right..." Adam was always taught that phrasing things that way was basic respect. He had no plans to stop because a drunk disagreed with it.

When the red-clad woman returned, Adam stared at the amount of bread be actually received. Almost as if sensing his question, Emily gestured towards it. "We usually cut from a large loaf and bake a few as we need them. But we're about to close and we still have plenty back there, so think of it as a bonus." She gave a thumbs up between placing the plates down.

"Does your boss know you're doing this?" Despite the age old expression 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth', Adam couldn't resist.

She winked at him before glancing at Gus. He was too busy stacking all the mugs back into a wooden cabinet to notice the conversation. "He trusts my judgement." Emily stated, returning to her earlier spot against the counter.

Even though he was hungry, Adam forced himself to eat slowly since he wasn't alone. He started with the bread. It was warm and fresh enough for him, regardless of what Emily said. The inside was fluffy and the outside a perfect layer of crisp. The salad came with a moderately sized packet of dressing. He opened it and poured it over. Nothing too glamorous about a bunch of leaves and occasional vegetable.

"Is the Joja here really just as bad?" He asked aloud, not caring who answered as it was directed at both nearby.

Shane snorted a laugh. It sounded humorless. "Yeah. Just as bad. They even found a dead worker in the walk in freezer."

This made Adam pause and give him his full attention.

"Apparently got locked in and nobody noticed. He was also new to town, now that I think about it. Kept to himself." A mirthless laugh. "Wanna know what corporate did? Gave a permanent discount of a whole ten percent to the grieving family. I became the only one to stock the shelves, including frozen. Each time I go back there I worry I'll get locked in next. Not like I have anybody to notice until it's too late." Somewhere along the line his voice became heated. Adam looked over at Emily to see if it was the truth. Her expression was somber and she wouldn't meet his eyes.

Food temporarily forgotten, Adam frowned. "They didn't have a lock inside the freezer?" Shane shook his head negative. "They should. Report it to management, or something."

"You don't think I've tried?" He snapped irritably, staring holes into his beer, before turning his attention to Adam. "Reporting it has done nothing but make me closer to losing my job. You'd think they'd fix it to cover their asses, since it's a blatant health concern."

"Okay." Adam raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. He never intended to antagonize the man.

He resumed eating, although the silence was slightly tense now.

Emily spoke up, but hesitated, unsure if she should continue. "Well... I could put a word in with Gus, if you ever wanted to quit, Shane."

Shane smiled ruefully, something about the barkeep dissipating his anger. "I couldn't do that. I need to leave this place sometimes, you know. Plus, being around all the liquor, I don't know if I could keep the job."

She laughed and shrugged.

The silence felt less heavy, now, thanks to her attempting to lighten the mood.

Adam finished eating. She took up the empty dishes and left to the back room. It was only at that moment that Adam realized the storm outside had calmed. A slight drizzle could still be heard hitting the roof, but it was nowhere near as aggressive as before.

"Have you tried the other general store across the street?" Adam asked, causing a frustrated sigh from Shane.

"I have, actually. Pierre isn't comfortable hiring somebody that drinks as much as I do. It's not my fault that a buzz is the only way to stand working. Hell, put up with anything. Plus, last I tried, he told me he wasn't hiring anymore. Despite not hiring anybody in the first place. I think he just lied to get me to leave."

That was unfortunate, for sure, Adam wished he could say or do something to try and help. He doubted anything would work. Emily returned, sparing him from trying to respond.

"Now might be a good time for me to head home." Adam mentioned. The barkeep added that since the weather lightened, the tavern would close for the night.

Shane grumbled, but slid off the bar stool he was using. He payed his tab and left immediately after. No words were exchanged.

As the farmer exited, he noticed the lights behind him shutting off. The rain soaked his clothing, which was still damp from before. At least the wind wasn't about to rip him away into the night. It made the trek back home one hundred times more bearable.

He was left with his thoughts.

Adam wondered if there was a way to help Shane turn his life around without offending him.

He also hoped he wasn't crushing on the attractive barkeep.


End file.
